#1
Posted: 11/5/05 at 1:02am
Just back from this evening's performance. Overall, I really, really liked the show. Some will say it's boring, but for the most part, I was riveted throughout the evening.
The Good
The entire principle cast. Walter Charles is effective in a tiny role. Adam Brazier sings very well and makes the most out of a difficult role. Jill Paice was solid. Angela Christian has a beautiful voice, and is a haunting presence throughout. Ron Bohmer surprised the hell out of me- he's so wonderful in this role. Michael Ball is delightful and funny as Fosco, and lightens up a heavy evening.
The real surprise for me, however, was Miss Lisa Brescia, on as Marian for just the second time. I strongly disliked her Amneris in Aida. I thought she was way out of her element. However, as Marian, she is clearly in her element. If this is what she is like after just one performance, I can only imagine how good she'll be in a week. She gave a beautiful, layered performance, and sung like a dream. If the show was opening tomorrow, she'd get excellent reviews, and the show doesn't lose a beat at all without Freidman, who I'm sure is also wonderful.
Also under the good was Webber's music. He has a knack for writing full, lush melodies. The music he writes here is haunting and eery, and it serves the mood of the piece very well. It's orchestrated very well, too. I loved the music (not the lyrics, but more on that later).
Also falling under the "good" was the story itself. It's been a long time since I've read the book (though I'm gonna pick it up again now), but this story held my interest for the entire show. Once it gets going, it keeps building and building. The tension continues to rise and comes to a feverpitch in a brilliant Act 2 sequence. If you like this kind of English Victorian mystery, you'll love this show. Nunn ought to be commended for building the tension as the show goes on, and creating a mysterious, almost scary environment that the events play out in.
The Bad
Simply put, the lyrics. Why does Webber always saddle himself with bad lyricists, save for Tim Rice? The lyrics in this show are never more than pedestrian, and at times they are downright amateurish. The beautiful music deserves much better lyrics. There are also several sequences that probably would be better served as actual book scenes, rather than being sung through.
Also "bad" is about the first 20-25 minutes of Act 1. Not very much happens, and we see a lot of the same thing taking place in multiple songs. I honestly thought I was going to hate the show at that point, but it does pick up. The show opens with a sequence in a rail yard, then moves to a trite, silly number. The rail yard sequence is fine, because it introduces the title character whom everything revolves around, but it's gotta be followed up with something better. Those first 20 minutes need some tightening and/or cutting.
The Ugly
The set. What a stupid concept- the "virtual set". Several people complained of being dizzy, though it didn't bother me that much. At times I felt like this was an IMAX movie, with the constantly moving landscape projections. I get what they were trying to do, but it really doesn't work. It would have been a lot nicer had someone tried to actually design the spooky rail yard, the beautiful mansion, and all the other sets.
I should mention that Webber, Trevor Nunn, and Kristen Blodgette were all standing at the back of the theatre taking notes throughout the performance. Hopefully they'll work on those first 20 minutes because they've got something here. It's a wonderful story with a solid score. The audience seemed to love it- they all jumped to their feet during the curtain call. And the house was packed too.
The Good
The entire principle cast. Walter Charles is effective in a tiny role. Adam Brazier sings very well and makes the most out of a difficult role. Jill Paice was solid. Angela Christian has a beautiful voice, and is a haunting presence throughout. Ron Bohmer surprised the hell out of me- he's so wonderful in this role. Michael Ball is delightful and funny as Fosco, and lightens up a heavy evening.
The real surprise for me, however, was Miss Lisa Brescia, on as Marian for just the second time. I strongly disliked her Amneris in Aida. I thought she was way out of her element. However, as Marian, she is clearly in her element. If this is what she is like after just one performance, I can only imagine how good she'll be in a week. She gave a beautiful, layered performance, and sung like a dream. If the show was opening tomorrow, she'd get excellent reviews, and the show doesn't lose a beat at all without Freidman, who I'm sure is also wonderful.
Also under the good was Webber's music. He has a knack for writing full, lush melodies. The music he writes here is haunting and eery, and it serves the mood of the piece very well. It's orchestrated very well, too. I loved the music (not the lyrics, but more on that later).
Also falling under the "good" was the story itself. It's been a long time since I've read the book (though I'm gonna pick it up again now), but this story held my interest for the entire show. Once it gets going, it keeps building and building. The tension continues to rise and comes to a feverpitch in a brilliant Act 2 sequence. If you like this kind of English Victorian mystery, you'll love this show. Nunn ought to be commended for building the tension as the show goes on, and creating a mysterious, almost scary environment that the events play out in.
The Bad
Simply put, the lyrics. Why does Webber always saddle himself with bad lyricists, save for Tim Rice? The lyrics in this show are never more than pedestrian, and at times they are downright amateurish. The beautiful music deserves much better lyrics. There are also several sequences that probably would be better served as actual book scenes, rather than being sung through.
Also "bad" is about the first 20-25 minutes of Act 1. Not very much happens, and we see a lot of the same thing taking place in multiple songs. I honestly thought I was going to hate the show at that point, but it does pick up. The show opens with a sequence in a rail yard, then moves to a trite, silly number. The rail yard sequence is fine, because it introduces the title character whom everything revolves around, but it's gotta be followed up with something better. Those first 20 minutes need some tightening and/or cutting.
The Ugly
The set. What a stupid concept- the "virtual set". Several people complained of being dizzy, though it didn't bother me that much. At times I felt like this was an IMAX movie, with the constantly moving landscape projections. I get what they were trying to do, but it really doesn't work. It would have been a lot nicer had someone tried to actually design the spooky rail yard, the beautiful mansion, and all the other sets.
I should mention that Webber, Trevor Nunn, and Kristen Blodgette were all standing at the back of the theatre taking notes throughout the performance. Hopefully they'll work on those first 20 minutes because they've got something here. It's a wonderful story with a solid score. The audience seemed to love it- they all jumped to their feet during the curtain call. And the house was packed too.
Updated On: 11/5/05 at 01:02 AM
